Rate My Professor Chisha Sikazwe

Dr. Chisha Sikazwe is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in the School of Biomedical Sciences, Marshall Centre, at the University of Western Australia. He also serves as Senior Scientist in the Microbiology Surveillance Unit at PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, a position held since 6 January 2013. His research specializations include virus discovery, pathogen genomics, diagnostic tests, host-pathogen interactions, and virology. Sikazwe's primary focus lies in respiratory virus surveillance, diagnostics, viral evolution, and virus-host interactions, contributing to advancements in understanding emerging pathogens and public health challenges.

Sikazwe has authored numerous impactful peer-reviewed publications. Key works include the co-first authored 'Off-season RSV epidemics in Australia after easing of COVID-19 restrictions' in Nature Communications (2022), cited over 350 times; 'Flight-associated transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 corroborated by whole-genome sequencing' in Emerging Infectious Diseases (2020); and 'Molecular detection and characterisation of the first Japanese encephalitis virus genotype IV in Australia' in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases (2022). Recent contributions encompass 'A surge in human metapneumovirus paediatric respiratory admissions in Western Australia following the reduction of SARS-CoV-2 non-pharmaceutical interventions' in Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health (2023), 'RAPIDprep: A Simple, Fast Protocol for RNA Metagenomic Sequencing of Clinical Samples' in Viruses (2023), 'Diagnostic and phylogenetic perspectives of the 2023 Murray Valley encephalitis virus outbreak in Australia' in The Lancet Microbe (2025), and 'Genetic diversity of Murray Valley encephalitis virus 1951-2020 identified via phylogenetic and evolutionary analyses' in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases (2025). His research aligns with Sustainable Development Goals 4 (Quality Education) and 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), and he participates in projects like 'Physical containment level 3 capability for innovative investment opportunities in Western Australia' (2024-2026). With over 2,200 citations on Google Scholar, Sikazwe's contributions significantly influence virology, genomics, and infectious disease surveillance.